Jim Wallis Touts Faith Study: Care for 'Social & Economic Justice' Increases With Bible Reading

Prominent religious figures Dr. Richard Land and Rev. Jim Wallis appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" to discuss their take on faith and politics in the 2012 electoral cycle.

Land, among other proposals, said that America needs to end no-fault divorce and that it's time to tell men that they can "no longer get away with extended adolescence." His focus was very clearly upon the importance of upholding marriage and personal responsibility in adult relationships.

Following Land's comments, host Joe Scarborough asked Wallis, "What do you think Americans are going to be focusing on when it comes to religion and politics?"

Wallis responded, "It would be a powerful thing if Christians could focus together not on their own interests but on other peoples'." This is an interesting statement, considering the divisive nature of some of Wallis' work. That said, the notion that Christians should be involved in assisting their fellow man is a tenet that most followers of Jesus Christ would likely embrace.

In discussing why there has been a change in the way that Christians interact with the world, Scarborough discussed the fact that it seems like the faithful may be changing their outreach methods.

Believers apparently now realize that the benefit of reaching out to help their fellow man rather than merely handing our fliers (although some would argue that evangelicals have always been involved in assisting their fellow man, while still engaging in activities that would spread the gospel).

In response to this, Wallis said, "It is the globalization. Evangelicals -- young people are global now. Plus, they're reading their Bibles. A new Baylor study shows, the more you read the bible, the more you end up caring about social and economic justice."

The Blaze has covered the Baylor study that Wallis cites. As we reported, the study did, indeed, seem to indicate that reading the Bible daily helps American Christians become more concerned about poverty, civil liberties and conservation. Among the findings, David Briggs writes:

The likelihood of Christians saying it is important to actively seek social and economic justice to be a good person increased 39 percent with each jump up the ladder of the frequency of reading Scripture, from reading the Bible less than once a year to no more than once a month to about weekly to several times a week or more.

It's important to note, though, that Wallis' views on the "social and economic justice" include support for the redistribution of wealth and greater government intervention. In fact, a more recent study (also from Baylor), entitled, “The Values and Beliefs of the American Public,” finds that those who believe that God has a plan for their lives tend to be less supportive of government programs.

So, while the Bible may, indeed, command people to be more giving, there's no indication that Wallis' views on the economy mesh with this sentiment. Watch Wallis and Land discuss these issues, below: